Q&As// Crysis: Spinning The Story Further

Whichever way you look at it, Crytekís latest shooter, Crysis, is tasty. Toasting alien invaders while dodging environmental disasters, it would seem, are high up on gamers' to-do lists.

Wanting to learn more about the game, I caught up with Alex Werner, designer of Crysis, who was happy to fill me in on the advanced AI, dynamic level hazards and online modes among other things.

SPOnG: For those who arenít clued up on Crysis, what is the premise of the game?

Alex Werner: In a nutshell, Crysis is the story of one man rising up in the face of adversity to counter a devastating threat to humanity. Crysis puts you in the role of a Special Forces Operative, call sign Nomad, who is sent in to rescue a team of U.S. archaeologists held captive on a North Korean controlled island. When the situation escalates the player must adapt and utilize the full range of his abilities to succeed against near-impossible odds.

SPOnG: Crytek is known for another popular FPS franchise, Far Cry. How different will Crysis be to these games? Has working on the Far Cry series helped in some way when it came to developing this game?

Alex Werner:Far Cry was the first stepping-stone that made it possible to create Crysis. But, for us, the goal was to push the boundaries: to re-apply what we have learned. Crysis is the next step for us as we try to push the limits further and further. Many elements were done multiple times over during development. Working in iterations is expensive, but gives you a constant improvement and push, and redefines the bar we establish internally and hopefully externally.

SPOnG: What was your inspiration for the gameís setting, particularly the final Zero G encounter with the aliens themselves?

Alex Werner: We get inspiration from any possible source, and everyone at Crytek contributed many ideas that had to be sorted out. But it all started with the idea of the frozen paradise, a beautiful tropical island frosted by aliens.

SPOnG: Can you give us an example of how the dynamic worlds might change and how players may have to adapt to these environments?

Alex Werner: Adapting to the environment is using it. Hide behind a crate to get into cover or, if thatís not fun enough, take the crate and throw it at your enemy, or move the crate next to a building to jump on the roof. Now change your suit power to get stronger and break through the roof, jump down and punch the enemy, and so on.